Garden Railway Forum

Thanks for the reply. It might not be clear in the photo (and it might not entirely guard against what you are saying), but I have made little hangers that poke through the top of the box and the buffers weren’t at the back/bottom when they were being sprayed. I didn’t have any problem getting the p...

This isn't my first time spraying, but I usually paint composites so metal is all new to me! I started by making a small spray booth out of cardboard box (the one that the loco was delivered in :D ) with a drop sheet plastic insert. The buffer beams were sanded with 500 grit wet and dry, then cleane...

The build has stalled for the time being. Surprisingly, considering my previous dealings with them, Roundhouse hasn't yet replied to my request to buy a replacement cab front. And Minuteman might as well be on another planet so I still have no idea if/when my paint might arrive. I did order some lit...

I think I’ve discovered where I went wrong, from looking at photos on internet (and you can just about see the solution on the Roundhouse photo, from the back, posted above). It looks like the hinges aren’t supposed to be flush with the inside of the cab walls; they need to ‘float’. This will keep t...

Quote from the instructions: 'The hinge has slotted holes to allow for adjustment of the roof position. After tightening into position, file away any excess thread'. Only 2 pages later (in the section about the tank support) does it say, 'the nuts on the inside should be left slightly loose to allow...

Thanks again, that is extremely helpful. First problem has come, with the roof. The instructions say that the roof 'hinges' are slotted to be able to adjust the roof and to 'tighten when correctly positioned'. I put it all together and there was no way that this was going to work. After a few adjust...

Thanks for your reply. Comet is like Ajax. Ajax only appears to be available in the US in powder form and although you can get Comet in cream form, it still contains bleach. I have found a 3M creme cleanser but I have to have it shipped to me, so it works out quite expensive. On the subject of heat ...

Body soldered and initial clean-up complete.

Not perfect but I'm quite happy with it.

Time for a question as I need some help please. I have ordered the Scalecoat 1 paints. Searching the internet for ideas on surface prep suggests that there wasn't a Scalecoat primer, but there is now and I have bought some. However, it doesn't specifically mention that it is an 'etch' primer so I bo...

Optional coal bunker folder and soldered. Not my best effort but it will do.

My first attempts at bending the metal parts proved a bit difficult. I looked at the tiny bends in the back of the body and wasn't sure how I would make a neat job of these. I looked around for options and found this hand seamer at Harbor Freight for $11. This is a bit big but it made light work of ...

The airbrush equipment has arrived. As I am only temporarily living in the US, I am trying to minimise the amount of electrical equipment I buy (as a lot of it doesn't work in the UK). I considered using cans of propellant for the airbrush but then came across this on ebay. It looks similar to other...

Next is the RC kit. There are some things in here that I probably won't use (e.g. the plastic battery box). It's a tiny bit pricey (£46.50 incl UK Vat at the time of writing) but removing the manual regulator from the kit took £28.65 off that, so it works out quite reasonable. One of the first disap...

I chased up Minuteman and got an automated reply saying that they are closed until 19th Apr for family vacation. I have no issue with that, but it would have been nice to mention it on the website, or on the automated order response. The wait for paint continues. I've also had to chase up Loco-Boxes...

There's a slight delay whilst I am waiting for my spraying equipment to turn up. :( I've ordered some Scalecoat 1 paint and I must say I'm a little disappointed with Minuteman. It has been 2 days and all I have had is the automated confirmation of my order. I understand that there might be a delay, ...

One of the first things I wanted to do was to check the buffer mounting style, as I'm considering a SwiftSixteen coupling and I wasn't sure which one would fit. It looks like this is the one to go for (although I'm sure the others would work too) https://www.swiftsixteen.co.uk/product-page/roundhous...

It has arrived

Photos of what I received, and the contents of the chassis kit, which is where I will start. From payment to arriving with me in the US was 5 days!

If they are NiCd or Nimh and you want to overnight charge them, then just set the charger on to its lowest mA setting. The more important factors are to ensure that the polarity and voltage are correct. The only time you have to be careful with mA settings is if you want to fast charge. A 'normal' 4...

The first hurdle was to work out what to order. After a couple of quick emails to Roundhouse I discovered the following: The boiler kit comes with the manual regulator, but I am going to use RC. There is a different RC regulator in the RC fittings kit. If you don't need the manual regulator, then yo...

A little while ago I visited the Georgia state railroad museum in Atlanta, just to pass some time, and they had an incredible 'model' locomotive on display. When I got home, I searched the internet for model locomotive kits and came up with a few results; some were huge (and mega expensive) and some...